Email updates on the status of the search, which were sent to the campus community and/or to Wittenberg alumni and friends, will be housed here. Questions can be sent to presidentialsearch@wittenberg.edu.
Wittenberg Community,
A month has passed since our eight campus listening sessions where we heard your thoughts concerning the necessary leadership qualities of our 16th President. We want to thank Storbeck Search for leading those sessions with students, faculty, and staff, as well as all those who participated as the discussion provided us valuable input.
Within the past month, we also concluded our survey, which resulted in 565 responses from the Wittenberg community. We are pleased with this response rate and gained considerable clarity around the priorities for and the desired qualities and experiences of our next President. Thank you again to all who participated in the survey.
The listening sessions and survey served as critical components in preparing Wittenberg’s Presidential Search Profile, which we will use to solicit and educate potential candidates on the position and the Wittenberg experience overall. The profile can be accessed here. We hope the profile reminds you of the excellence and uniqueness of the Wittenberg experience, while also outlining both the opportunities and challenges ahead of us.
If you know of anyone who meets and/or exceeds the criteria listed for our next President, we encourage you to reach out to our search consultants at s.vangilder@storbecksearch.com or by phone at 703-865-8817. For periodic updates on the progress of our search for our 16th President, please visit our new Presidential Search website here.
We have already kicked off the next stage of our search with direct outreach to potential candidates and advertising of the position in multiple publications. We expect the outreach process to last about six weeks. We will then start to narrow down the field of candidates.
Thank you again for participating in this important process. We will continue to provide more updates and information as we proceed.
Sincerely,
Doug Kentfield ’78
Chair, Presidential Search Committee
John Shumate ’99
Vice Chair, Presidential Search Committee
Students, faculty, and staff, as well as the University's alumni, friends, and extended community received an update from Presidential Search Committee Chair Doug Kentfield '78 and Vice Chair John M. Shumate '99 on the state of the search. Mr. Kentfield and Mr. Shumate thanked everyone who attended the listening sessions on campus with Wittenberg's presidential search partner, DSG I Storbeck, and all those who completed the online survey. They also thanked everyone who has agreed to serve on the Presidential Search Committee, noting that all will sign a code of ethics. Additionally, they encouraged everyone to respect the need for confidentiality as the University begins this important work.
The committee met on Dec. 11, 2024 to review some of the feedback received to date from Wittenberg alumni, parents, and local leaders. The group also had a frank discussion around the Presidential Search Committee’s role and responsibilities, knowing that the ultimate decision regarding our 16th president will sit with the Board. DSG I Storbeck is working to finalize the position profile for the committee's review.
Lastly, Mr. Kentfield and Mr. Shumate shared that they and the committee are excited to begin their work together and that they expect to share more in the coming weeks. Questions may be sent to presidentialsearch@wittenberg.edu.
